Apparatus for charging closed compartments with gas.



m. 7l6,38|. Patented mm. 23, I902.

' T. A. CLAYTON.

APPARATUS FOR CHARGING CLOSED COMPARTMENTS WITH GAS. (Application filedDec. 26, 1399.) (No Modal.) 2 Shook-Shoat I.

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No. 7|a,3a|. Patented Dec. 23, I902.

T. A. CLAYTON.

APPARATUS FOR CHARGING CLOSED GOMPARTMENTS WITH GAS. (Application filedDec. 26, 1899.) (No Model.)

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THOMAS A. CLAYTON, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

APPARATUS IFQR: CHARGING CLOSED COM PARTM ENTS WITH GAS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 716,381, datedIDecember23, 1902.

Application filed December 26,1899. Serial No. 741,551. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS A. CLAYTON, a citizen of the United States ofAmerica, residing in the city, county, and State of New York, haveinvented a new and Improved Apparatus for Charging Closed Compartmentswith Gas, of which the following is a true and exact description,reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form a partthereof.

My apparatus relates to charging closed compartments with gas; and hasfor its principal object the extinguishment of fires in suchcompartments by forcing into them gases incapable of supportingcombustion and reducing the temperature of the gas in the compartment toa safe point.

In a general way my invention relates to the same character of methodsand apparatus described in my Patent No. 633,807, dated September 26,1899, and in my Letters Patent dated November 13, 1900, No. 661,496, theobject of my present invention being, generally speaking, to improve andsupplement the apparatus described in my prior patents. Particularly Ihave in view the entire removal of the gas-generating furnace from thecirculating system connected with the chamber to be charged with thegas, drawing through the furnace at all times atmospheric air, which isconverted into a non-inflammable gas in passing through the furnace andsuch gas forced into the chamber, and in connection with theabove-described apparatus I provide a circulating apparatus by which thegases in the chamber can be maintained in circulation and reduced intemperature, myimproved apparatus providing for simultaneous generationand forcing of gas from the furnace into the chamber and therefrigeration of the gases in the chamber.

Another feature of my invention consists in providing a reservoir ofcompressed gas situated outside of the chamber to be charged andconnected therewith bya conduit, in combination with a circulating andrefrigerating apparatus for cooling down the gases in the chamber. Thereservoir of compressed gas is especially adapted and intended for useas a supplement to the generating-furnace and the source from. which anon-inflammable gas can be drawn at any time-as, for instance,

especially before the furnace is in full operation. I also utilize thecooling elfected with the expanding gases from the reservoir in reducingthe temperature of the gases in the chamber.

Other features of my invention will be best understood as described inconnection with the drawings, in which they are illustrated, and inwhich-- Figure 1 is a diagrammatic elevation showing my apparatus in itspreferred form, Fig. 2 being a similar diagrammatic elevation showing amodification of the apparatus embodying some but not all of the meritsof the preferred form.

A indicates the gasgenerating furnace, consisting of a retortchambercontaining trays of sulfur heated by means of the furnace A and fluesleadingtherefrom, A indicating an air-inlet opening leading into thelower part of the retort and having a regulating-damper, (indicated at AB is the chamber to be-charged with the non-inflammable gas.

0 is the trap through which the gases from the retort-chamber arepassed.

D and D, Fig. 1, are alternative forms of refrigerating and mixingchambers for utilization of the compressed gases held in the reservoirto be described. D, Fig. 2, is similar in construction to the chamber Din Fig. 1.

E is a refrigerating or cooling apparatus of ordinary and conventionaltype.

F and F indicate suction-fans.

Referring first to Fig. 1, G is a conduit leading from the upper part ofthe retort and having its end 9 opening into the lower part of the trapC. G is a pipe having its end g opening into the upper part of the trapC, said pipe passing into the chamber D, where it connects with aspiral, (indicated at K,) the lower end of said spiral opening at K intoa funnel shaped mouthpiece K of a connecting-pipe G which leads into thecooling device E, from which cooling device a conduit G leads to the fanF, from which in turn the pipe Gr leads, connecting through a coupling Gwith a pipe G", having openings 9 in its lower side andsimilarly-perforated branches, as indicated at G". H is a stopcocksituated in the pipe G. J, J, and J are reservoirs of highly-compressedgas connecting through cocks h h h with a conduit J which leads into thechamber (1. The working of this part of the apparatus is easilyfollowed. The damper a is opened to the proper extent, a fire built inthe furnace A, and the fan F set in operation. Air is then drawn intothe retort, its oxygen combining with the sulfur in the retort to formsulfurous-acid gas, which, together with the nitrogen of the air, isdrawn first through the trap O,where any flowers of sulfur isintercepted, then through the conduits G, K, and G to the cooling deviceE, and thence through the conduits G G and G it is forced into thechamber B. At the same time by opening cocks h h, &c., thehighly-compressed gases in the receptacles J J, &c., are permitted toissue and expand in the chamber D, passing from said chamber through thefunnelmouthpiece K into the conduit G It will readily be seen that inexpanding in the chamber D the gases acting upon the coil K willconsiderably lower the temperature of the gases coming from the furnace.The same efiect of course will be produced by the combination of the hotand cold gases in the conduit G and its connections. By closing thestop-cock II the entire supply of gas forced into. the chamber B may bedrawn from the reservoirs J J, &c. This may be highly important atthebeginning of the operation of extinguishing the fire where asufficient supply cannot be maintained from the furnace.

Referring to the other device shown in Fig. 1, G is the outlet-conduit,having openings g preferably in the upper side of the pipe or of itsbranches G The pipe G on the outside of the chamber is preferablyprovided with a stop-cock (indicated at H and also with an air-pressureI, having a damper v1. Such an air-passage may even be necessary for usein connection with the charging of the chamber from the furnace as itprovides for the escape of gas and air from the chamber. The pipe G isconnected by a coupling G with the pipe G having in it a stop-cock H andwhich pipe opens, as shown, into the upper part of a chamber D, in whichis situated a coil 70, which is connected with the conduit J receiving asupply of gas, as in the case already described, from the reservoirs JJ, &c. The chamber D, like the chamber D, connects with theoutlet-conduit, here illustrated at 9 by a funnel-shaped connection intowhich the end 70 of the coil projects. E indicates the coolingapparatus, which is similar to the apparatus E and from which leads apipe 9 connecting through a blower F with the conduit g which is unitedby a coupling 9 to a pipe G opening in the lower part of the chamber 13and having a stop-cock H. The conduit 9 is, as shown, provided with aregulable airadmission passage g The operation of this circulating andcooling apparatus is as follows: The fan F being set in operation, the

gases are drawn from the upper end of the chamber B through the chamberD, then through the cooler E, and then forced into the lower part of thechamber. Where necessary or desirable, the cooks h h, &c., are opened,permitting the stored gas in the reservoir-chambers J J, &c., to passthrough the coil is and mix with the gases coming from the chamber inthe conduit g. The expanding high-pressure gases coming from thereservoirs of course have a materially valuable effect in cooling downthe circulating gases, and obviously the general characteristics andmode of operation of the device D is not materially different from thedevice D, already described. The important feature of my construction isthat it enables me to simultaneously cool down the gases in the chamberand to supply freshgas from the generator.

Referring to the method and apparatus illustrated in Fig. 2, the devicedoes not differ materially from that shown in Fig. 1, except that thecirculating apparatus is combined with and utilizes a portion of theconduit leading from the furnace to the chamber. In this way the chamberD and the cooler E are common to the system leading from the furnace tothe chamber and to the circulating and cooling system,-and a single fanF acts both to draw the furnace-gas in and to maintain the circulation.While this form of the apparatus is more particularly adapted for thesuccessive process of forcing gas into the chamber and subsequentlycirculating it through a refrigerating apparatus, it is also clearlyWell adapted for the simultaneous drawing in of gas'from the furnace andcirculation, except that it necessarily involves the. mixing of thefurnace-gases with the circulating gases, which, although sometimes notundesirable, is in my judgment not as well adapted for generalconditions as is the separate arrangement shown in Fig. 1.

Having now described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In an apparatus for charging chambers with gas, a generating-furnacehaving an airpassage leading to it from the atmosphere and a deliveryconduit leading from it to the chamber to be charged in combination witha circulating-pipe leading from and to the chamber but not connecting tothe furnace, a cooling device situated in said circulatingpipe, meansfor forcing the furnace-gases into the chamber and independent means forcausing a circulation of the gases in the chamber through the coolingapparatus.

2. In an apparatus for charging chambers with gas, a generating-furnacehaving an airpassage leading to it from the atmosphere anddelivery-conduit leading from it to the chamher to be charged incombination with a regulable gas escape passage connected to thechamber, a circulating-pipe leading from and to the chamber but notconnecting to the furnace, a cooling device situated in said circu- I 4.In an apparatus for charging chambers lating-pipe and means for forcingthe furnacewith gas the combination of a gas-generating gases into thechamber and for causing a cirfurnace connected to the chamber and aninculation of the gases in the chamber through dependent circulating andcooling system for the cooling apparatus. 1 the gases in the chamberwhereby the charg- 3. In an apparatus for charging chambers ing of thechamber and the cooling of the with gas, a gas-conduit leading to thechamgases therein can be prosecuted simultaneber from a source otherthan a compressedl ously and independently. gas reservoir, incombination with a com- 1 THOMAS A. CLAYTON. pressed-gas reservoirconnected to said con- I duit and whereby the gases passing through thesame can be enriched.

WVitnesses:

CHAS. F. MYERS, D. STEWART.

